Stonekeep (Quest)
Stonekeep is the first part of the second main quest of . Following the escape from the Imperial City's dungeons, the Eternal Champion finds themselves doing a favor for Queen Blubamka of Rihad: to retrieve a Parchment stolen by Golthog the Dark for the Rihad Palace, to decipher the Elder Scrolls and the legendary Fang Lair's location. Background Journal The ruler of Rihad has marked Stonekeep on your map of the province of Hammerfell... Story The first part of the second quest of Arena. Following the escape from the Imperial City's dungeons, the Eternal Champion is given a quest from Rihad's Queen, Blubamka: to recover a stolen Parchment from Stonekeep, which will help reveal the location of the Fang Lair, in turn the location of the first piece of the Staff of Chaos. The Champion is also to assassinate Golthog the Dark and his gang of Goblins. Objectives *Receive Ria Silmane's dream bridge. *Travel to the city-state of Rihad, in Hammerfell. *Enter the palace, and receive the task from Queen Blubamka. *Retrieve the parchment from Stonekeep. *Return to Blubamka, and decipher the Fang Lair's location. Walkthrough Dream Bridge After gaining , Ria Silmane approaches the Eternal Champion in their dreams to enlighten them about what she's divined on the Staff of Chaos, the Fang Lair, and the Dwarves of Kragen: A pause occurs to change scenes to Ria's face: After Ria delivers her message, the Champion is encouraged to talk to pedestrians, mages and priests to learn any information on the whereabouts of the Fang Lair. While searching, the Champion may be told that , and is encouraged to go to a random city within Hammerfell and ask the civilians there the rumors of Hammerfell and the Fang Lair. The Champion is directed to the city of Rihad, where they are to hold an audience with Queen Blubamka in the Rihad Palace. Rihad Palace When the Champion seeks audience with Blubamka, she greets the Champion with a task: "Welcome to Rihad, (Player's name). I am Queen Blubamka, and I agree to tell you about Fang Lair, for a favor. You see, not too long ago a band of goblins, led by Golthog the Dark attacked this stronghold. They carried away with them much treasure, including a parchment which held within its writings clues to decipher the part of the Elder Scrolls which spoke of the location of the legendary Fang Lair. Golthog and his goblins fled to an ancient and ruined fortress called Stonekeep, outside the city. I fear that a large band of mercenaries or soldiers will be unable to find them. A single person however, would be much more successful. Perhaps your arrival is fortuitous. If you would agree to try and recover this parchment, I will inscribe the location of the Stonekeep onto your map. If you are successful and return with the parchment, I will be able to decipher the location of Fang Lair. I promise to give you that location as reward for your help. Do you agree?" The Eternal Champion should accept her request, and Blubamka speaks again: "Excellent. Stonekeep lies near Rihad. Be careful, Golthog is crafty and evil. It is even rumored that he is a necromancer serving the Underking. When you have the parchment, return with it here and I will find out the location of the Fang Lair for you..." Queen Blubamka smiles broadly and motions for you to take your leave... After leaving, it's recommended that the Champion stocks up on supplies at the various guilds. Preparation After the audience with Blubamka, the Champion can stock up on supplies. Upgraded arms and armor may bought at Blacksmiths and Potions are available at Mages Guilds, Cure Disease, Healing, and Strength are particularly useful. When finished preparing, the Champion should travel to Stonekeep. Stonekeep – Stolen Parchment Stonekeep is located three days north of Rihad. The closest village is Chaseguard, a one day journey, but Stonekeep may be fast travelled to directly. Stonekeep is not small, however the parchment is luckily near the entrance and can be reached quite easily. The Champion should follow the right-hand wall to the last door on the right side, killing any Goblins, Rats or Wolves along the way. The Champion should then enter the room, sleep on the bed to regain their health if necessary, and then jump through the hole in the west wall of that room. After descending the wall's steps, there is a group of up to ten Skeletons to be dispatched. After this, the Champion should then proceed to swim their way to the central island from a branching, raised platform, where the Parchment resides. Caution should be taken as the parchment is guarded by a number of Ghouls, who cause Disease far more frequently than rats. It's also recommended to kill all the enemies in the perimeter of the island to avoid getting attacked on the way out. Proceeding to the center of the island, there are some treasure chests with some decent loot (some may need to be lockpicked to open), and the parchment that Blubamka requires in the back. After the Champion claims the Parchment, a prompt will appear, restating what the Parchment was required for: "You have found the Parchment the court at Rihad can use to discover the location of the Fang Lair..." The Champion can then proceed to leave Stonekeep and return to Rihad or choose to explore Stonekeep further for more loot and experience. Stonekeep is relatively easy, as there are only goblins, Orcs, and sometimes even Lizard Men in the main sections. There is an iron key on the middle island due south of the entrance that can be used to open a locked door the farthest back of the conference room that is south of the island. If they choose to go further south into Stonekeep, the Champion will encounter large groups of Spiders. The Champion should eventually find their way out and will head back to Rihad, where Blubamka will celebrate and reveal the Fang Lair's location. The Elder Scroll Upon returning to Rihad Palace and seeking Blubamka's audience, she greets the Champion: "You have recovered the parchment! I hope you put Golthog into an early grave as well. Still, I will complete my end of the bargain..." Queen Blubamka motions to a courtier who respectfully bows and brings forward a pen. Staring intently at the parchment, the Queen takes a few moments and then inscribes the location of Fang Lair, somewhere in the province of Hammerfell, onto your map... Signalling the Champion to take their leave, they should continue to the Fang Lair, and the first piece of the Staff of Chaos. Trivia *During the first part of Ria's dream bridge with the floating Staff of Chaos, the captions beneath appear dark blue, instead of the normal light blue when the Champion speaks to Ria. **The color resets to light blue after that part of the bridge is over. *This is the first quest in which the Eternal Champion may encounter scripted deaths. **This death includes being paralyzed in water after being hit by a Spider. The Champion drowns subsequently afterwards. **The Champion may also die on the three-day journey back to Rihad if they're Diseased (as that causes constant damage, even through traveling), and may be greeted by Ria Silmane in the afterlife instead of arriving at the city-state. A way to counter this would be to go to Chaseguard instead, and try to find a Temple to cure their Disease. *While Golthog the Dark does not appear in Stonekeep, Queen Blubamka still celebrates his death upon returning the parchment. **It is possible that one of the generic goblins the Champion kills could be Golthog.